Method of obtaining moisture regain in fibrous materials



June 11, 1946. w. N. HADLEY METHOD OF OBTAINING MOISTURE REGAIN IN I'IBROUS MATERIALS Filed'Aug. 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR W/LFmm/VHADLEY 'B'Y /Vubg ATTORNEYS June 11 1946. w. N. HADLEY ,Filed Aug. 1'7, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR VV/LFHED /V4 HADLEY ATTORNEYS dyed fibrous raw stock, top,

Patented June 11, 19 46 METHOD OF OBTAINING MOISTURE REGAIN IN FIBROUS MATERIALS Wilfred N. Hadley, Springfield,

Parks & Woolson Machine 00.,

Vt., assignor to Springfield, Vt.,

a corporation of Vermont Application August 17, 1944, Serial No. 549,916 7 Claims. (Cl. 3423) This'invention relates to a method of quickly impelling moisture known as regain into wool, vegetable or synthetic fibres or materials made therefrom at various stages in process whenever said regain is necessary or desirable. It is an established fact that the natural regain of woolen fibre amounts by weight to 14.2%. Vegetable and synthetic fibres have aflinity of less moisture content by weight.

The purpose of the invention is to improve upon prior methods used by the textile industry at the present time, not only to effect regain quickly, but also to increase the amount possible. to and above the normal regain'of 14.2% and in a controlled manner. A further and important object is to makeavailable an improved method in the form of scoured or yarn or cloth, may be rapidly and continuously impregnated with normal or desired amount of moisture and may thereupon be immediately packaged for shipment or use, thereby eliminating the long time period heretofore required to obtain normal moisture by which the product regain and the additional handling of the stock as heretofore required.-

Due to the intense heat used in the drying of wool stock after scouring or dyeing, the moisture is driven off td such a, degree that the resulting wool fibreis so called bone dry" and brittle when in this condition. During the picking and carding operations that follow would be broken where there is no regain present to lubricate the fibres, so to speak, as they come ture regain to balance the deficiency'and thereby effects substantial savings as will be readily understood.

Prior methods employed in imparting this reain have included (i) not to moisture charged areas supplied by atomized water or steam vapor and (2) the storing of the wool, t'op, yarn or fabric in a damp cellar for days during which it absorbs the required amount of moisture. The latter method is satisfactory from the standpoint of regain obtainable but the time and work factors required make it impracticable under modern commercial conditions. The remaining known methods not only fall short of imparting the 14.2% normal regain, realizing at their best but 7% regain, but furthermore are slow and impossible to control. In contrast to these prior methods which provide no standardization of regain, my improved process.

is adaptable for treating fibres, top. yarn, or textile material in any stage of manufacture and enables the amount of regain to be quickly and economically restored and fixed in the material and exactly regulated in percentage irrespective the drying, these fibres in contact with the wire clothed picker and card rolls that tend to arrange fibres in parallel position with relation to each other. Broken and short stapled fibre results in poor spinning and weaving qualities and in reducing the value of the finished top, yarn or fabric.

- The same danger is ever present while this wool stock. is subjected to additional top and yarn preparatory operations, such as gilling," combing and drawing. Here the stock is drawn through needled fallers and cylinders further-to arrange the fibers parallel one to the other. The mere draw-' ing of one fibre along adiacent fibres will cause breakage when not conditioned properly to lubricate the fibres and scale of the fibres. Yarns made up of short stapled stock cause breakage of the product in the loom and necessitate more mending of the cloth that is of .poorer quality.

Wool, top, yarn and fabrics are sold to exact moisture weight specifications, the normal moisture content of wool being 14.2% by weight, and it will be apparent that substantial loss is sustained ii the moisture content is below normal. For example, if the product has but 5% regain deficiency. My invention permits the immediate and controlled addition of moisof transient conditions of the atmosphere.

In accordance with my invention, the wool stock as it comes from the dryer is subjected to a damp or saturated steam. and immediately thereafter it is subjected to a sub-zero F. temperature for a, time period sufiicient suddenly to chill the stock and quickly solidify and fix the moisture therein. Various means and apparatus such, for example,

as herein illustrated and described, can be em-- ployed for carrying the process into execution. and in accordance with my invention the amount and percentage of i regain can be controlled by regulating the character and volume of steam employed and the speed of the product through the treating areas. The fixing step is preferably performed in a deep freeze unit maintained at a temperature approximating F. and to which the stock is immediately conveyed following its saturation by the steam and I have found that the subjecting of the stock to this temperature for a period of thirty seconds is ordinarily sufiicient to effect the object of the invention.

I have proved in practice that the subjecting of woolen cloth in continuous web form to satuthe exposing of the prodaromas per minute, the production possibilities of my- The only imparting uncertainties and repeated handlings of the product such as are required in how and employed.

The invention will be described in connection processes heretofore I with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing one manner of applying the invention to woolen or other fibrous stock; 1

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing one manner of applying the invention to finished textile fabric such as woolen or mixed fibre cloth; nd

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing an arrangemen't by which my improved process can be carried out with the assistance of an apron steamer and take place synchronously with the steam conditioning of the product.

In Fig. 1, I have shown in diagrammatic form one apparatus for treating woolen stock'or synthetic or other fibres, it being understood that the construction, size and application of the various parts can be modified as appear best to accomplish the objects of the invention. Woolen stock is a term used to describe woolen fibres prior to the carding operation but after they have been subjected to scouring or dyeing followed by a drying operation. At this point the wool has been deprived of its normal moisture content, and in order to prevent the fibres from breaking during succeeding carding operations it ishecessary to impart to it a'degree of moisture in addition to what it had at the time of leaving the drier.

In accordance with-my invention the stocki is received from any suitable conveyor upon a foraminous apron or conveyor 2. This apron passes closely over a steam chamber'S which can be supplied with damp steam from any suitable pipe d having a, control valve 5. The steam from the chamber 3 passes through the apron and through the wool stock, imparting to the latter a degree of moisture which can be regulated by the degree of saturation of the steam and by the speed given to the apron 2. Immediately after passing the steam chamber the apron carries the wool stock between refrigerating plates 6 and I which can be supplied with a refrigerant from any desired source through pipes 8. These plates may be spaced to form a chamber, or may be in light contact with the stock, the exact form of refrigerating apparatus not being critical. The refrigerant is preferably maintained at a temperature sui'llclently low so that the moisture present in the stock or cloth after the steaming operation will be frozen practically instantaneously. Thus the steam saturated product is immediately chilled is by storage of woolen cloth, which equilibrium between the ing out the same fundamental idea to finished may be supplied from a roll or from the usual apron steamer which gives the final finish to the cloth. If an apron steamer, sometimes known as a semi-decator, is used, it may itself serve as a source of steam, as will be described below, otherwise the web t is fed over suitable guide rolls it across an open-topped steam chest H having within it suitable periorated steam entrance pipes i2. In the form shown the guide rolls it are, arranged to pass the cloth once or twice over the top of the steam chest in order to increase the moisture regain for a given speed of the web. The cloth then passes over a guide roll it. into a chamber it provided with coils is serving for the circulation of a refrigerant. As in the former case, the reir'igerant is supplied at a' temperature preferably sufiiciently low to causepractically instantaneous freezing of the condensed steam vapor taken up by the fabric. Guide rolls i8 withinthe chamber direct'the fabric in successive reversed paths to increase its length of travel within the cold chamber, and the fabric leaving the chamber is directed by a guide roll II the cloth through the chamber canbe regulated by changing the speed of the driven roll l8.- The cloth will thus be wound on the roll it in a condition having a controllable amount of moisture within it which can readily be regulated to give to the cloth at the time when it is wound on the'roll substantially the same moisture content as that required by v phere, under normal conditions.

tionally as mounted on a frame frame is journaled a hollow metal and the steam-derived moisture contained in the product is set and fixed, thereby establishing a substantially permanent moisture regain the degree of which is controlled by the various factors In Fig.3 is shown a modification in which the usual apron steamer or semi-decating machine is employed as the source of saturatedsteam. In this figure an apron steamer is shown conven- 20. Upon this drum 2| having its outer surface perforated'with closely spaced holes. The drum is mounted on a shaft 22 which can be rotated by any of the usual means. To the interior of the hollow shaft 221s coupled a pipe 28 to which are coupled branch pipes 26 and 25 having valves 26 and 27 respectively located in them. By one of these pipes'zl dry steam can be admitted to the interior of the drum to be blown out through its perforations; through the other of the pipes 35 suction may be applied to the interior of the drum when desired. It will be understood that one valve would be closed before the other one was opened. Other valve and piping arrangements may of course be substituted. Mounted on a shaft 28 is a reel 29 for apron material 30 in the form of a wide web of suitable fabric. The cloth 3! .to betreated passes over a smoothing bar .32 and over suitable supply and guide rolls tension bars' 36 around which it 'is looped as shown. It then passes together with the apron 30 over a roll 3'! and iswound -up on the large drum 2|. When the thickness of cloth and apron on the drum 2| has been built up as muchas is convenient for the steaming operation the cloth is separated at a, cross seam "(it being generally 4 In Fig. 2 I have shown an apparatus for carryto a positively driven. windup roll I 8 against which rests the usual windup reel it. The speed of cloth and the atmossuperheated or g .33, 34, and 35 to apair of however, I desire it to scribed shut off and suction turned. on through another line 25. So far the operation is the same as in standard apron steaming or semi-decating.

Leaving the fabric and apron still wound upon.

- apron is then wound back on the drum 2! and when theend of the fabric 40 appears it is secured to the end of the preceding run. or to a cotton leader, which has been thrown over a bar 4| at the conclusion of the preceding operation. The previous cloth piece, or the leader, has its end projecting from the freezing chamber 42 which, in the case shown, is provided with guide rolls 43 and pipes 44 for the circulation of a refrigerant. A power driven wind-up roll 4! receives the fabric from the chamber and winds it on a take-ofl roll 45. A guid roll 41 is employed to direct the remoistened fabric 40 from the tension bars -38 to the freeze chamber. It may be remarked that in general it will not be necessary to 109p the fabric reverseb' about the tension bars 36 in withdrawing it from the roll 3| in the same way as it was reversely wound through these bars while it was being wound up on that roll for the reason that tension during the freezing operation is not important. subjecting the warm, moisture ladened cloth to the deep freeze chamber solidifies and sets this moisture in its state of, permeation throughout each individual fibre comprising the fabric and provides the normal .amount of moisture regain which remains within and as a substantially permanent content of the product.

It will be understood that the form of appaj ratus and the various factors employed in the steam saturation and freezing steps of the process may be quite substantially varied within the scope of the invention and that these factors will to a considerable extent depend upon the character of. the product-tobe, treated. In general,

be understood that I preferably employ a substantially damp and saturated steam and in such volume as will quickly penetrate and provide the desired moisture in the fabric, and that I further preferably subject the steam treated fabric immediately to a deepfreeze temperature that will solidify and fix the moisture in the fabric substantially instantaneously. Such preferred facilitates speed and economy The apparatus illustrated is not claimed herein but forms the subject matter of my copending ap-' plication Serial no. 590,106, filed April 2?, m5.

Having thus disclosed my invention and dein detail illustrative methodaof practicing a, 1 claim ters Patent:

" lflrmethod of. rapidly impregnatin with moisture and effecting normal moisture regain in fibrous material containing less than normal moisture content, which consists in subjecting the moisture-deficient fibrous material directly to the asnewanddesiretosecurcbylieta passing the cloth action of damp steam and immediately thereafter subjecting the material to a sub-zero F. atmosphere for a time period sufllcient to'chill the material and solidify and set the contained moisture derived from the steam.

2. A method of continuously impregnating with moisture and effecting normal moisture regain in fibrous material containing less than normal moisture content, which includes the steps of continuously feeding said material through a steaming zone, subjecting the material directly tothe action of damp steam at said zone, immediately passing the material from said zone into a refrigerating chamber, and subjecting the steamed material in said chamber to a sub-zero F. temperature for a time period sufficient to chill the material and solidify and set the contained moisture derived from the steam.

3. A method of continuously impregnating with moisture and effecting normal moistureregain in strip fabric containing less than normal moisture content, which consists in continuously feeding said fabric through a steaming zone, subjecting the fabric directly to the action of saturated steam at said-zone, immediately passing the fabric from chamber, subjecting the steamed fabric in said chamber to a sub- .zero F. temperature for a time period sufllcient to chill the material and solidify and set the contained moisture derived from the steam, and continuously passing the fabric from the refrigerating chamber and rolling it into package form after a predetermined exposure in the refrigeratingchamber.

4. A method of impregnating with moisture and effecting normal moisture regain in cloth containing less than normal moisture content, which includes the steps of winding the cloth into 9, rolled package conta g a plurality of layers, forcing steam outwardjly through the cloth from the center of the package, unwinding and and subjecting the cloth in the chamber to a subzero F. temperature for a time period suillcient to chill the cloth and solidify and set therein the moisture derived from the steam. 5. A method of steaming cloth and impregnating'it with moisture to eflect normal moisture regain therein, which consists in winding the cloth together with a supporting apron into a rolled package containing a plurality of cloth treatment not only in the process but also produces a superior product. 1

freeze is used herein in the in which the steam treated a deepfreeze treatment layers with the apron therebetween, forcing steam 4 outwardly through the cloth and apron from the center of the package, unwinding the cloth andapron and passing the cloth into a refrigerating chamber, and subjecting the cloth inthe cham-e temperature for a time pe-- her to a sub-zero F.

riod sufllcient to chill the cloth and solidify and set therein the moisture derived from the steam. defined in claim 1, in which the 6. The method steam treated material is immediately subjected to a deepfreeze treatment at a temperature sum ciently low to solidify and set the moisture derived from the steam substantially instantaneously in ghe material treated.

'z; The continuous method defined in claim 2,

material is immediin said refrigerating chamber to at a rate of about yards per minute and at a temperature sufllciently low to solidify and set the moisture derived from the steam substantially material treated.

ately subjected into a refrigerating chamber,

instantaneously in the 

